First, I hope you like the new layout. The black was really getting to me. I hope to continue to update the site with new features over the next couple weeks.

Colby racks up more honors. Another former first rounder wins but struggles. Yet another first rounder gets a step closer to returning to full season baseball while another first rounder has a first at Memphis.

Cardinals catcher Colby Rasmus had two more hits than any other player in the Texas League this past week, and his three doubles and seven runs scored tied him for the league lead in that span. The catch? The 21-year-old did all of that in just four games. Rasmus was hit in the first game of the week and did not bat in the rest of the contest. He returned to bat .611 with a 1.111 slugging percentage to finish the week, though. The native of Columbus, Ga., seems to be returning to form. After a torrid May, he batted a mediocre .203 through June and July, but Rasmus is hitting .396 in August.

From Baseball America: With all the other 2005 high school first-round outfielders stepping up their play–Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin in the big leagues, Jay Bruce holding his own in Triple-A–Rasmus is the latest to hit a second gear. Rasmus batted .611 with a pair of home runs last week, improving his overall numbers to .260/.373/.507 with 21 homers for Springfield.
Even more impressive is the fact that Rasmus is doing it in a playoff race–Springfield, who won the first half in the Texas League’s North Division, is tied for first place with Arkansas with 16 games remaining in the regular season. And seven of those games are against the Travelers.

More on Rasmus from Kevin Goldstein’s Future Shock: (Only an excerpt): Rasmus was a 2005 first-round pick as a high school center fielder who was pushed to Double-A…he struggled at times, showing plenty of power and speed but also keeping his batting average hovering around .250 with plenty of strikeouts…Rasmus is finishing the year with a flourish, going 9-for-14 over the weekend with three doubles and pair of home runs. Now hitting .396/.522/.830 in 16 August games, Rasmus is hitting .267/.378/.520 in 114 games…with 22 home runs and 16 stolen bases. While his hitting skills continue to improve, his power, speed, range, and arm are all above-average, and with the progress Rasmus has made, the post-Edmonds era in the middle of the Cardinals outfield could start as early as next year.

The Cardinals got a much needed win in the final game of the series. The team looked awful the first 2 games but got the bats going today. Albert and Ankiel both went deep. The bullpen was tremendous. Ryan Franklin allowed 1 baserunner in 1.2 innings while Izzy allowed 2 baserunners while picking up the save. Even after the Cards were roughed up in the first 2 games, the Cardinals only lost .5 games in the standings over the weekend.

Anyone else holding his breath when a ball wass hit to the outfield in the late innings? It is ridiculous that the game continues when the outfielders are splashing to get to the ball. That is an injury waiting to happen. I bet Eli Marrero would agree.

Why do you replace a stadium that has gone through major renovations, has what seems to be a quality drainage system, and has seen more World Series winners than any other but not a dump that has a tradition of losing? Wrigley Field is a joke.

Memphis 4 Iowa (Cubs) 5

Chris Perez blew his first save for Memphis. Perez struggled with his control, walking 2 of the first 3 batters and then giving up a 3-run walkoff HR to Josh Kroeger. Mike Smith was shaky as usual, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. Tagg Bozied had 2 hits including his 24th HR. Jarrett Hoffpauir had a hit and an RBI. Joe Mather went 2-4.

The Cardinals gave up 7 in the seventh to let this game get away. Mitch Boggs gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings. Mike Sillman gave up 5 of those runs in only 0.2 innings. For the first time since moving to the leadoff spot, Colby did not get a hit to start the game. He did have a hit but he also struck out 3 times. Rico Washington had 2 hits and has provided a little spark since his return. Reid Gorecki has not as he put up an 0-4 with 3 Ks and is hitting .087. Mark Hamilton collected 2 hits.

Palm Beach 9 Vero Beach (Devil Rays) 2 Game 1

Adam Ottavino got the win, but really struggled getting it. The former first rounder gave up 2 runs in 5 innings, but walked 6 while only striking out 2. A.J. Van Slyke had a double and 3 RBIs. Mark Shorey had 2 hits, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. Brandon Yarbrough had 2 hits including a 2-run HR. Allen Craig had 2 hits, an RBI, and 3 runs scored.

Palm Beach 1 Vero Beach (Devil Rays) 6 Game 2

After putting up big offensive numbers in the first game, the Cardinals were only able to muster 2 hits in the night cap. Jim Rapoport did not have a hit but walked twice and scored a run. It doesn’t seem like I have put Rapoport’s name in an update in a long time. Luke Gorsett and Dan Nelson each had a double to account for the only hits. Stu Pomerantz made his season debut at Palm Beach and got really roughed up. Pomerantz gave up 5 runs on 6 hits including 3 HRs in 2.2 innings.

Quad Cities and Clinton (Rangers) were rained out.

Batavia 2 Mahoning Valley (Indians) 3

The Muckdogs got 3 in the eighth thanks to a wild pitch and then a 2 run triple by Daniel Descalso, who also singled. Domnit Bolivar had the only other hit. Thomas Eager struck out 6 in 3 innings to pick up his first victory. Josh Dew picked up his 12th save.

Johnson City 7 Bristol (White Sox) 4 Game 1

Pete Kozma moved to the 3 spot and responded with 2 hits, a walk, and 2 runs scored. Jon Edwards went 2-5 with 2 runs scored and 5 RBIs including a 3-run HR, his seventh. Travis Mitchell had 2 more hits and his average stands at .303. Andres Rosales gave up 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 8 in 4 innings.

Johnson City 3 Bristol (White Sox) 4 Game 2

Pete Kozma was back in the leadoff spot and went 0-2 but did walk twice. Mike Folli hit his fourth HR, a 3-run blast. Omar Javier gave up 4 in 4.2 innings to pick up the loss.

GCL Cardinals 4 GCL Marlins 5

Mark McCormick got another rehab start, pitching 2 perfect innings. The concern here is McCormick, a supplemental first round pick in 2005, had no strikeouts. Scott Thomas had a pinch hit and 2 RBIs. Brian Buck also had a hit and 2 RBIs.

I am doing a little research for a couple items I am working on while I was watching the Yankee/Angels game. Do you realize the Cardinals passed on Phil Hughes in the 2004 Draft and selected Chris Lambert?

Blake Dewitt returned to the lineup in high fashion. Blake went 1-4 with a 2 run HR that proved to be the game winner. Dewitt had missed a couple games due to a hamstring injury.